The present invention relates to luminaires for outdoor lighting, and more particularly, to a compact floodlight for multi-purpose uses.
Floodlighting is generally used outdoors to illuminate large open areas from a location on a perimeter of a site with the light directed inward to the site or from a location on the interior of the site and the light directed outward. These types of luminaires are sometimes called projectors since they project light across spaces usually several times the length of their mounting heights.
Typically floodlights consist of a cast aluminum housing, a cast aluminum door, control gear to operate a lamp, (usually a high intensity discharge lamp), an optical or reflector system to project the light in a desired distribution and direction, and a mounting means to attach it to a pole or the side of a structure.
Within the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) there is a committee, C136, which publishes standards defining some of the mechanical and electrical requirements for this type of lighting equipment. The relevant standards to this invention are: C136.2-2004 (American National Standard for Roadway and Area Lighting Equipment—Luminaire Voltage Classification), C136.10-2006 (American National Standard for Roadway and Area Lighting Equipment—Locking-type Photocontrol and Mating Devices—Physical and Electrical Interchangeability and Testing), and C136.32-2006 (American National Standard for Roadway and Area Lighting Equipment—Enclosed Setback Luminaires and Directional Floodlights for High-intensity Discharge Lamps).
The Illumination Engineering Society of North America (IESNA) also publishes a standard defining the classifications of light or beam patterns for a floodlight which are useful to lighting practitioners in properly applying this equipment. The relevant standard is RP-6-01, The Recommended Practice for Sports and Recreational Area Lighting.
In addition to meeting all of the above standards, luminaires having a compact size are often desirable in many lighting applications. Decreasing the overall size of the luminaire, however, leads to other problems relating to weight balancing, heat dissipation and internal accessibility. For example, when moving the internal components of the luminaire closer together in an attempt to decrease the overall size of the luminaire, consideration must be given as to the concentration of the weight of the components and the effects of certain heat generating components on other nearby components. It is also necessary to maintain an ease of accessibility to the internal components from the outside for periodic maintenance and repair. Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a compact luminaire meeting all these requirements.